Unacceptable Necessity
by Wandering Seas
Summary: Reyna's on board the Argo II and fleeing from her own people as there was a little misunderstanding with Leo and an eidolon, but what do the seven (plus one) do now? What's up with this big statue thing they need to get? And what will Reyna being on board do to the Mark of Athena storyline? Well, you'll just have to find out. Sequel to Just a Chance Encounter? Leo/Reyna
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Io non aquisto.**

**Book of the Update: **_**Deeper**_** by Gordon and Williams**

**P.S. Sorry this took so long; first week of school and all. I had three essays due after being back only 4 days….I've been a bit busy.**

**Plus, I had to re-read MOA, because I couldn't remember what happened specifically, so that took some time too.**

**I've decided this story **_**will**_** be a rewrite of MOA, like most of you asked for, but not completely identical; that would just feel like cheating. A lot of the dialogue still comes from Rick Riordan, so this story is like maybe 1/3 mine, 2/3 Rick's.**

Chapter 1

I'm not sure if anyone really cares or needs to know how I ended up drooling over Leo Valdez along with a sea of nymphs and an angry long-dead demigod, but Leo says that it's good storytelling that I tell every detail. I think he just wants me to tell everyone that he was cool, at least for a little while. Alright, he's sticking his tongue out at me, very immaturely, if I may add, so I better get on with the story.

It was right after that _really_ awkward first group meeting on board the Argo II. Leo, Hazel, and I were getting supplies for Leo to repair the ship with (by the way, riding Arion, Hazel's magic horse, was, to borrow one of Leo's favorite words, _epic._) when we had an unfortunate encounter with a minor goddess by the name of _Nemesis. _

She was sitting on a boulder in basically the middle of nowhere, with a black-and-chrome motorcycle with some pretty weird wheels parked nearby. The woman herself has curly black hair and was too skinny to be healthy. She matched her bike, decked out all in leather and looking like a mash-up between Michael Jackson and Hell's Angels. She was pulling little balls out of a big sack and breaking them open –oysters maybe?

I looked at Leo and he seemed a bit wary as well, but Hazel forged ahead before I could stop her. As we got closer, I noticed details, like the whip attached to the woman's belt, and the skeleton on her jacket. The balls turned out not to be oysters, but fortune cookies. Hundreds and hundreds of fortune cookies. She kept cracking them open and reading the fortunes, either tossing the cookie into a basket or onto the ground after she read the slip of paper.

"What are you doing?" Leo asked and I almost smacked him. The woman was obviously a goddess, she deserved respect. I knelt to the ground and pulled him with me, Hazel already following my lead.

"Forgive him," I said solemnly with my head bowed. The woman made a snarling noise that was almost a laugh.

"Aunt Rosa?" Leo asked and I looked up at him. He had followed me to his knees, but was now looking at the goddess in confusion.

"Leo," I hissed, but the goddess didn't seem to mind his idiocy.

"Is that what you see? Interesting," she commented, looking at Leo as a dog would look at raw meat. I inched a bit closer to him, like I could protect him better from a few centimeters difference. The goddess turned to me. "And you, my dear?"

I looked at her for the first time, and recoiled when I saw a face that I knew well, though it was a bit different. The woman bore Blackbeard's face, but the features were a bit more feminine and the beard gone. I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. "I see a goddess, ma'am."

She laughed a mirthless laugh and turned to Hazel. "Ah. Hazel Levesque. What do you see?"

"You— you look like Mrs. Leer. My third grade teacher. I hated you."

I expected her to just kill us right then for Hazel and Leo's disrespectfulness, but the woman cackled. "Excellent. You resented her, eh? She judged you unfairly?"

"You— she taped my hands to the desk for misbehaving," Hazel said. "She called my mother a witch. She blamed me for everything I didn't do and— No. She has to be dead. Who are you?"

"Oh, Leo knows," the woman said. "How do you feel about Aunt Rosa, mijo?"

Leo was thinking for a while, and I could almost see the gears working in his mind. He looked back up at the unknown goddess, anger burning in his eyes, and I swear I thought I saw his hands spark.

"Nemesis," he said. "You're the goddess of revenge."

"You see?" The goddess smiled at Hazel and me. "He recognizes me." She motioned for us to stand with her finger and I rose to my feet, trying to stand tall and yet still be respectful before Nemesis.

Nemesis cracked another cookie and made a disgusted face. "You will have great fortune when you least expect it," she read. "That's exactly the sort of nonsense I hate. Someone opens a cookie, and suddenly they have a prophecy that they'll be rich! I blame that tramp Tyche. Always dispensing good luck to people who don't deserve it!"

Leo glanced at me then looked at the mound of broken cookies. "Uh… you know those aren't real prophecies, right? They're just stuffed in the cookies at some factory—"

"Don't try to excuse it!" Nemesis snapped. "It's just like Tyche to get people's hopes up. No, no. I must counter her." Nemesis flicked a finger over the slip of paper, and the letters changed to red. "You will die painfully when you most expect it. There! Much better."

"That's horrible!" I said before I could stop myself. "You'd let someone read that in their fortune cookie, and it would come true?"

Nemesis sneered and I had to hold back a shudder. It was creepy seeing Blackbeard's face on this woman's body. She looked at Hazel.

"My dear Hazel, haven't you ever wished horrible things on Mrs. Leer for the way she treated you?"

"That doesn't mean I'd want them to come true!"

"Bah." The goddess resealed the cookie and tossed it in her basket. "Tyche would be Fortuna for you, I suppose, being Roman. Like the others, she's in a horrible way right now. Me? I'm not affected. I am called Nemesis in both Greek and Roman. I do not change, because revenge is universal."

"If I may ask," I ventured cautiously, trying to disguise my anger and repulsion. "What are you doing here? What do you want?"

She opened another cookie and muttered something about lucky numbers before she answered my question. "The gods are in terrible shape. It always happens when a civil war is brewing between you Romans and Greeks. The Olympians are torn between their two natures, called on by both sides. They become quite schizophrenic, I'm afraid. Splitting headaches. Disorientation."

"But we're not at war," Leo insisted and I winced.

"Um, Leo…" Hazel pointed out what I was thinking. "Except for the fact that you recently blew up large sections of New Rome."

"Not on purpose!" he cried, his hand up in the air. I pushed them down gently.

"_We_ know that, Leo, but the rest of my people don't. they'll be pursuing us in retaliation."

Nemesis cackled. "Leo, listen to the girl. War is coming. Gaea has seen to it, with your help. And can you guess whom the gods blame for their predicament?"

Leo's face fell and he looked down at his shoes. I could tell what he was thinking, but it wasn't true.

"Juno," I said. "If war breaks out, the gods will blame Juno for bringing the two sides together." I was looking right at Leo as I spoke, and when he looked up, I saw in his eyes that he got my meaning: _it's not your fault._

"So why are you here?" he asked.

"Why, to offer my help!" Nemesis smiled wickedly.

I glanced at Hazel. She looked like she'd just been offered a free snake.

"Your help," Leo said.

"Of course!" said the goddess. "I enjoy tearing down the proud and powerful, and there are none who deserve tearing down like Gaea and her giants. Still, I must warn you that I will not suffer undeserved success. Good luck is a sham. The wheel of fortune is a Ponzi scheme. True success requires sacrifice."

Sacrifice? I didn't like the sound of that. Neither did Hazel, apparently.

"Sacrifice?" her voice was tight. "I lost my mother. I died and came back. Now my brother is missing. Isn't that enough sacrifice for you?"

"Right now," Leo said in a carefully controlled voice, "all I want is Celestial bronze."

"Oh, that's easy," Nemesis said. "It's just over the rise. You'll find it with the sweethearts."

"Wait," Hazel said. "What sweethearts?"

Nemesis popped a cookie in her mouth and swallowed it, fortune and all. "You'll see. Perhaps they will teach you a lesson, Hazel Levesque. Most heroes cannot escape their nature, even when given a second chance at life." She smiled. "And speaking of your brother Nico, you don't have much time. Let's see… it's June twenty-fifth? Yes, after today, six more days. Then he dies, along with the entire city of Rome."

Hazel's eyes widened. "How… what—?"

"And as for you, child of fire." She turned to Leo. "Your worst hardships are yet to come. You will always be the outsider, the seventh wheel. You will not find a place among your brethren. Soon you will face a problem you cannot solve, though I could help you… for a price."

His face was hard and I smelled smoke, looking down just in time to see him shove a burning hand into his pocket. "I like to solve my own problems."

I was still a bit preoccupied with the fact that Leo's freaking _hand_ was on _fire_, but I vaguely remember Nemesis giving him a fortune cookie and disappearing in a cloud of black smoke.

We walked, we talked, we got sentimental, Hazel told us how she died, Leo told us about his magic flame powers, yada, yada, yada. To cut to the chase, we met Echo, from the myth, that nymph who has to repeat everything anyone says because she fell in love with a guy who fell in love with himself. Leo seemed to feel pretty bad for her, but I'd seen worse. The story of Echo had never been one of my favorites – it was her own fault, after all; she fell for the stupid guy in the beginning. The story actually reminded me a bit of myself and Jason last year, but Juno had stolen him away and thankfully gotten me outta that trap. Now it was all Piper.

Anyway, we – Echo included – went down to where the Celestial bronze was, but couldn't get it because Narcicuss was too busy using it as a mirror. Then, we decided to let Leo come up with a plan, and we all know how well that works.

So that's how I ended up following around Leo with Echo at my side, shouting his praise and feeling his muscles (which were pretty impressive for a guy who can't pick up a sword, let me tell you).

The crowd of nymphs scattered in surprise. Leo shooed them away as if they were bothering him. "No autographs, girls. I know you want some Leo time, but I'm way too cool. You better just hang around that ugly dweeb Narcissus. He's lame!"

"Lame!" Echo said with enthusiasm.

The nymphs muttered angrily.

"What are you talking about?" one demanded.

"You're lame," said another.

his own reflection. "You know how ugly Narcissus is?" Leo asked the crowd. "He's so ugly, when he was born his mama thought he was a backward centaur— with a horse butt for a face."

Some of the nymphs gasped. Narcissus frowned, as though he was vaguely aware of a gnat buzzing around his head.

"You know why his bow has cobwebs?" Leo continued. "He uses it to hunt for dates, but he can't find one!"

One of the nymphs laughed. The others quickly elbowed her into silence.

Narcissus turned and scowled at Leo. "Who are you?"

"I'm the Super-sized McShizzle, man!" Leo said. "I'm Leo Valdez, bad boy supreme. And the ladies love a bad boy."

"We love a bad boy!" I squealed, planting a kiss on Leo's cheek that he grinned widely at.

Leo took out a pen and autographed the arm of one of the nymphs. "Narcissus is a loser! He's so weak, he can't bench-press a Kleenex. He's so lame, when you look up lame on Wikipedia, it's got a picture of Narcissus— only the picture's so ugly, no one ever checks it out."

Narcissus knit his handsome eyebrows. His face was turning from bronze to salmon pink. For the moment, he'd totally forgotten about the pond, and I could see the sheet of bronze sinking into the sand.

"What are you talking about?" Narcissus demanded. "I am amazing. Everyone knows this."

"Amazing at pure suck," Leo said. "If I was as suck as you, I'd drown myself. Oh wait, you already did that."

Another nymph giggled. Then another. Narcissus growled, which did make him look a little less handsome. Meanwhile Leo beamed and wiggled his eyebrows over his goggles and spread his hands, gesturing for applause. "That's right!" he said. "Team Leo for the win!"

"Team Leo for the win!" Echo shouted. She'd wriggled into the mob of nymphs, and because she was so hard to see, the nymphs apparently thought the voice came from one of their own.

"Oh my god, I am so awesome!" Leo bellowed.

"So awesome!" Echo yelled back.

"He is funny," a nymph ventured. "And cute, in a scrawny way," another said.

"Scrawny?" Leo asked. "Baby, I invented scrawny. Scrawny is the new sizzling hot. And I GOT the scrawny. Narcissus? He's such a loser even the Underworld didn't want him. He couldn't get the ghost girls to date him."

"Eww," said a nymph.

"Eww!" Echo agreed.

"Stop!" Narcissus got to his feet. "This is not right! This person is obviously not awesome, so he must be…" He struggled for the right words. It had probably been a long time since he'd talked about anything other than himself. "He must be tricking us." Apparently Narcissus wasn't completely stupid. Realization dawned on his face. He turned back to the pond. "The bronze mirror is gone! My reflection! Give me back to me!"

"Team Leo!" one of the nymphs squeaked. But the others returned their attention to Narcissus.

"I'm the beautiful one!" Narcissus insisted. "He's stolen my mirror, and I'm going to leave unless we get it back!"

The girls gasped. One pointed. "There!"

Hazel was at the top of the crater, running away as fast as she could while lugging a large sheet of bronze.

"Get it back!" cried a nymph.

Probably against her will, Echo muttered, "Get it back."

"Yes!" Narcissus unslung his bow and grabbed an arrow from his dusty quiver. "The first one who gets that bronze, I will like you almost as much as I like me. I might even kiss you, right after I kiss my reflection!" If I wasn't too busy being run over by a bunch of crazed nymphs, I would have rolled my eyes. "And get those demigods!" Narcissus spat unattractively, pointing at us.

Leo grabbed my hand and led me through the nymphs, as he could see over them, and I couldn't. Once again, I mentally cursed the gods for making me short.

We quickly caught up with Hazel and helped her carry the huge sheet of bronze back up the hill and prepared to fight the horde or nymphs trying to kill us, but luckily, Arion got there just in time.

I felt bad leaving Echo, but it was her own decision and we didn't have much of a choice. I tried to remember her face, but it was already fading by the time I looked away.

**A/N Okey dokey, there you go! Suggestions? Comments? Concerns? Reviews in general?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Io non aquisto. **

**Book of the Update: **_**The Irish Dream**_** by Nora Roberts**

**Majority of this is Rick's!**

Chapter 2

"Whew!" Leo cried as we dumped the sheet of bronze onto the deck of the ship. Gods, that thing was heavier than you would think.

"What happened to you?" Piper asked, making me look at Leo. His hair was greased back. He had welding goggles on his forehead, a lipstick mark on his cheek, tattoos all over his arms, and a T-shirt that read HOT STUFF, BAD BOY, and TEAM LEO. I held my hand up to my mouth to hold back a snort at the thought of explaining this to the others.

"Long story," he said. "Others back?"

"Not yet," Piper said. Leo cursed.

Just then, Jason sat up, rubbing his head and blinking slowly.

"Hey, man! Glad you're better. I'll be in the engine room." He looked at me, silently asking if I was coming. I shook my head no and he ran off with the sheet of bronze, leaving Hazel and me in the doorway.

Piper raised an eyebrow at her. "Team Leo?"

"We met Narcissus," Hazel said, which didn't really explain much. "Also Nemesis, the revenge goddess."

Jason sighed. "I miss all the fun."

On the deck above, something went THUMP, as if a heavy creature had landed. Annabeth and Percy came running down the hall. Percy was toting a steaming five-gallon plastic bucket that smelled horrible. Annabeth had a patch of black sticky stuff in her hair. Percy's shirt was covered in it.

"Roofing tar?" Piper guessed.

Frank stumbled up behind them, which made the hallway pretty jam-packed with demigods. Frank had a big smear of the black sludge down his face. "Ran into some tar monster things," he said after regaining his balance in the tight space.

"Hey Jason, glad you're awake," Annabeth called out to him and he nodded and gave her a weak smile. "Where's Leo?"

"Engine room," Hazel and I said at the same time. We looked at each other, and there was something in her eyes – was that _jealousy?_ But then it was gone and I shook my head, focusing on more important matters. The entire ship suddenly jolted to the side and shook a bit, as if someone was pounding on the hull.

Percy almost spilled his bucket of tar. "Uh, what was that?" he demanded.

"Oh…" Hazel looked at me, giving an embarrassed little laugh.

"We made contact with the nymphs residing in this lake. We were uh…not received well," I took over when she didn't finish.

"Great." Percy handed the bucket of tar to Frank and Annabeth. "You guys help Leo. I'll hold off the water spirits as long as I can."

"On it!" Frank promised.

The three of them ran off, leaving us at the cabin door. The ship listed again, and Hazel hugged her stomach like she was going to be sick. "I'll just…" She swallowed, pointed weakly down the passageway, and ran off.

Water splashed up the sides so high that I could see it over the windows. "I'm going to see if Valdez needs any help," I shouted over the noise of the waves before running down the corridor and making a sharp turn into the engine room.

Even before I got there, I could tell that it wasn't good, just by the noise. I cautiously stepped into the engine room, which was covering in smoke and had little sparks coming off of metal….um…engine stuff.

"Leo?" I called, but _I_ could barely even hear my voice over the noise, so I yelled again, "LEO?"  
"REY!" His voice came from just behind me and I turned to see him kneeling by some contraption thing with a wrench in one hand and a….Xbox controller (…?) in the other.

"YOU NEED ANY HELP?"

He nodded gratefully and handed me some screws and the wrench and Xbox controller. "CAN YOU JUST HOLD ONTO THOSE FOR A MINUTE?" I nodded and he jumped up and ran around to the other side of what I assumed was the engine.

It was huge, but I suppose that made sense, seeing as it powered a giant magical flying warship about to battle giants and mother earth.

Leo came back around and took the stuff out of my hands, grinning like a madman. "THERE'S A BIG YELLOW BUTTON OVER THERE; I NEED YOU TO HOLD IT DOWN WITH ONE HAND AND PULL OUT THE RED BOLT NEXT TO IT WHEN I SAY. OKAY? DON'T LET GO OF THE BUTTON!"

"OKAY," I shouted, running over to the other side and quickly found the button.

"RED BOLT NOW!" He hollered after a minute and I reached over and yanked out the already loose red bolt a few feet to the left of the button. There was a flash of light and I squeezed my eyes shut and heard a BOOM and almost got knocked over by the impact of whatever had happened.

Then it was gone and Leo was behind me. I could feel his chest pressed against my back and he leaned down to put his face near mine, wrapping his arms around me. "You can open your eyes now, Your Majesty," he murmured right next to my ear.

I did. "Can I release this button?"

"Yup."

I did.

"Where do you want the bolt?"

"Just drop it; I'll find it later."

I did.

"You okay?"

"You can turn around now, you know."

I did.

"Hello," I said, a bit flustered at being this close to him.

"Hello," he said back, grinning again.

"Hello," I said again before mentally slapping myself. Here I was, praetor of Rome, getting tongue-tied by some boy. But Leo Valdez wasn't just "some boy", now was he? He was Leo Valdez, and he was most certainly allowed to make me tongue-tied and flustered.

He leaned his head forward, a bit uncertainly, and I realized that he was probably just as….unsure where we were as I was. There seemed to be a mental battle going on in that head of his, but whichever side won, it was apparently the side that wanted to press his lips to mine and wrap his arms a bit tighter around my back.

My hands went up to his hair, which, surprisingly, didn't feel as filthy with engine grease and sweat as it was.

He pulled back after a moment, but we stayed where we were, just looking at each other, his arms around my waist, my hands twisted in his hair.

There were footsteps down the hall, and he quickly pressed his lips to mine once more before pulling away and running out into the hall.

I stood there, giving myself a second, maybe two, to be a normal teenage girl and freak out a bit, before I composed myself and followed him out into the hall.

Leo was caked in sweat, lime dust, and tar. His T-shirt looked like it had been caught in an escalator and chewed to shreds. The TEAM LEO on his chest now read: AM LEO, and yeah, maybe his hair was a bit more mussed than it was right after the explosion. But he grinned like a madman and announced that they were safely under way. "Meeting in the mess hall, one hour," he said. "Crazy day, huh?"

After everyone had cleaned up, the faun – Coach Hedge, I had to remind myself - took the helm and everyone else gathered below for dinner. It was the first time we'd all sat down together— just the eight of us. I felt like a bit of an intruder, being the only demigod not part of the prophecy, but everyone included me in their conversations and the remaining misgivings I'd had about Percy's Greek friends dissipated.

There was a bit of awkwardness when both Jason and Percy tried to sit in the chair at the head of the table, and sparks literally flew off Jason's hands. There was some tension between them, but they eventually decided to give the chair to Annabeth and sat on the sides themselves.

"So where to now?" Leo asked with a mouthful of pizza. "We did a quick repair job to get us out of the lake, but there's still a lot of damage. We should really put down again and fix things right before we head across the Atlantic."

Percy was eating a piece of pie, which for some reason was completely blue— filling, crust, even the whipped cream. "We need to put some distance between us and Camp Jupiter," he said. "Frank spotted some eagles over Salt Lake City. We figure the Romans aren't far behind us."

That didn't exactly improve the mood around the table.

"I don't suppose we should go back and try to reason with the Romans? Maybe— maybe I didn't try hard enough with the charmspeak."

Jason took her hand. "It wasn't your fault, Pipes. Or Leo's," he added quickly. "Whatever happened, it was Gaea's doing, to drive the two camps apart."

"Maybe if we could explain that, though—"

"With no proof?" I asked. "And no idea what to do about the _eidolons_ and if they're still here? I appreciate what you're saying, Piper. I don't want my people on our bad side, but until we understand what Gaea's up to, going back is suicide. They wouldn't even listen to _me_ if I tried now."

"She's right," Hazel said. She still looked a little queasy from seasickness, but she was trying to eat a few saltine crackers. "We've been raised to distrust Greeks, and Octavian especially will never listen. The Romans have honor to think about. They've been attacked. They'll shoot first and ask questions post hac."

Hazel nodded. "Nemesis said we have only six days until Nico dies and Rome is destroyed."

Jason frowned. "You mean Rome Rome, not New Rome?"

"I think," Hazel said. "But if so, that's not much time." "Why six days?" Percy wondered. "And how are they going to destroy Rome?" No one answered.

There was an awkward silence before Piper began to tell us about the visions she saw in her knife. Then the subject of the Mark of Athena was brought up, though the words themselves were never mentioned. I looked at Annabeth, but she shook her head slightly, like she didn't want it spread around, but that's impossible! The mark of Athena was just some batty old legend passed down from long-dead Lares.

Leo's hand slipped out of mine and brought me out of my thoughts. I looked up at him.

"So…" Leo pushed his chair away from the table. "First things first, I guess. We'll have to put down in the morning to finish repairs."

"Someplace close to a city," Annabeth suggested, "in case we need supplies. But somewhere out of the way, so the Romans will have trouble finding us. Any ideas?"

No one spoke.

"Well," she ventured, "how do you guys feel about Kansas?"

I blinked. Kansas? It was so random, so unexpected. Why _Kansas, _of all places?

Annabeth seemed to think it was a bit unusual as well, but accepted the suggestion and everyone sort of slipped off to bed, leaving just Leo and me.

"Do you know where my cabin is?" Leo asked, a bit awkwardly and I shook my head.

"Why?"

"Well, you need a place to sleep, obviously," he laughed nervously and scratched the back of his neck. "I mean, I'd sleep on the couch out here, of course…don't sleep all that well anyhow. So uh…I'll just show you the way then?"

He began to walk out the room, but I stopped him. "Leo, I can't just…_steal_ your room! I'll sleep on the couch; you sleep in your room."

He turned back to me, a solemn expression on his face. "If I let a lady sleep on the couch while I had a perfectly good room, my mom would come up out of her grave and smack me."

I let him take the couch after that.

He had told me about his mom once, when we were younger and I said I didn't know where my parents were. I knew he didn't really like to talk about what had happened, so I never pushed him. I just knew that there was a fire, and that she hadn't made it out in time. Now, knowing about the powers he has and that guilty sadness he gets when he talks about it, I started to wonder if it wasn't quite that simple.

Leo pretended to be the happiest guy around, but I knew that deep down, he really wasn't. Not _at all. _He was sad and regretful, and he didn't like things to be half-finished. That's why, when he came back a while after showing me which room was his, I pretended I was asleep and let him kiss my forehead and murmur something in Spanish and pretended to stay asleep until he shut the door quietly behind his retreating form. He didn't like things to be halfway done because he was never sure if it was the last chance he's had to finish them or not.

**A/N is this a boring story? I feel like it's boring. Is it boring?**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Not Rick Riordan. Female. In high school. Not a celebrated author. Not Rick Riordan.**

**Book of the Update: **_**The Picture of Dorian Gray**_** by Oscar Wilde**

Chapter 3

I awoke to the sound of a loud bell clanging somewhere in the hallway, followed by Leo's voice hollering that it was time for breakfast and that we were landing. I looked at the clock. It said 7:00. I groaned and flopped back into Leo's bed. I must've gotten to sleep pretty late last night; I usually wake up at 6 for my morning run and workout. Not that it really mattered anymore. I had a feeling that we were going to die on this quest, one way or another.

Well, no use dwelling on unpleasant thoughts before breakfast. I dressed quickly, borrowing one of Leo's orange camp shirts because the purple one I'd been wearing was filthy and I did _not_ want to go around smelling like _that_ all day. I stuck with the same jeans I had on before, mainly because Leo's would never fit me. Only made that mistake once, I remembered with a grin. Maybe I'd borrow some from Annabeth later; she was about my height and seemed nice enough. I threw my hair into a quick braid and walked out into the hallway.

I walked by Piper's room, where Leo and her were talking.

"Morning," I called to them.

"Morning!" Piper said cheerfully and waved at me.

Leo turned around and grinned at me, then leapt over and took my hand. "Good morning _mi_ _reina_."

I just smiled at him. Even before breakfast, he managed to be bouncy and full of energy.

Piper gave me a look when I passed her, raising her eyebrows and glancing back towards Leo's room. I just shook my head and we walked by in an awkward silence. Piper's reaction made me realize how this looked: I was stepping out of _Leo's_ bedroom, wearing _Leo's_ shirt, holding _Leo's_ hand. I had to stifle a laugh at the thought, but Leo still noticed.

"What?"

"Nothing. I borrowed your shirt, by the way."

He smiled. "I noticed. Orange is a good color for you."

I was about to respond when Coach Hedge cut me off. "Thar she blows! – Kansas, Ahoy!"

"Holy Hephaestus," Leo muttered. "He really needs to work on his shipspeak. I'd better get above deck. See you later." He let go of my hand and turned to walk away, but then turned back and kissed my cheek before running the other way.

I raised my hand to touch my cheek. That was unexpected, but…nice. It was nice.

After I'd gone to the mess hall and grabbed a bagel and some hot cocoa, I could hear the ship's landing gears kick in and climbed up to the top deck with the others. The Argo II had landed in a field of sunflowers; the morning air smelled of irrigation, warm plants, and fertilized earth. Not a bad smell.

"So," Annabeth said as she stole Piper's bagel. "Here we are. What's the plan?"

"I want to check out the highway," Piper said. "Find the sign that says Topeka 32."

Leo spun his Wii controller in a circle, and the sails lowered themselves. "We shouldn't be far," he said. "Festus and I calculated the landing as best we could. What do you expect to find at the mile marker?"

Piper explained what she'd seen in the knife— the man in purple with a goblet. She kept quiet about the other images, though, like the vision of Percy, Jason, and herself drowning. She wasn't sure what it meant, anyway; and everyone seemed in such better spirits this morning, she didn't want to ruin the mood.

"Purple shirt?" Jason asked. "Vines on his hat? Sounds like Bacchus."

"Dionysus," Percy muttered. "If we came all the way to Kansas to see Mr. D—"

"Bacchus isn't so bad," Jason said. "I don't like his followers much.…"

Piper, Leo, and Jason all visibly shuddered and I decided that that was one story I didn't want to hear.

"But the god himself is okay," Jason continued. "I did him a favor once up in the wine country."

Percy looked appalled. "Whatever, man. Maybe he's better on the Roman side. But why would he be hanging around in Kansas? Didn't Zeus order the gods to cease all contact with mortals?"

Frank snorted. "The gods haven't been very good at following that order," he noted. "Besides, if the gods have gone schizophrenic like Hazel said—"

"And Leo said," added Leo.

I frowned at him. "Centurion Zhang – Frank – does have a point. If the gods _have_ gone schizophrenic, then who knows what's going on with the Olympians? Could be some pretty bad stuff out there."

"Sounds dangerous!" Leo agreed cheerfully. "Well… you guys have fun. I've got to finish repairs on the hull. Coach Hedge is gonna work on the broken crossbows. And, uh, Annabeth— I could really use your help. You're the only other person who even sort of understands engineering."

Annabeth looked apologetically at Percy. "He's right. I should stay and help."

"I'll come back to you." He kissed her on the cheek. "Promise."

They were so easy together, like they were made for each other. The old me would've wanted that with Jason, or even Percy, but – and I really hate to admit this – maybe Leo changed me for the better. Made me a little less Roman. Maybe that's a good thing.

Frank slid his bow off his shoulder and propped it against the rail. "I think I should turn into a crow or something and fly around, keep an eye out for Roman eagles."

"Why a crow?" Leo asked. "Man, if you can turn into a dragon, why don't you just turn into a dragon every time? That's the coolest."

Frank's face looked like it was being infused with cranberry juice. "That's like asking why you don't bench-press your maximum weight every time you lift. Because it's hard, and you'd hurt yourself. Turning into a dragon isn't easy."

"Oh." Leo nodded. "I wouldn't know. I don't lift weights."

"Yeah. Well, maybe you should consider it, Mr.—"

Hazel stepped between them. "I'll help you, Frank," she said, shooting Leo an evil look. "I can summon Arion and scout around below."

"Sure," Frank said, still glaring at Leo. "Yeah, thanks."

I frowned at Leo. "Are you even trying to make him like you?"

He looked at his feet, shuffling them around. "Not really."

"Well you should," I said in a reprimanding tone. "We've only got each other at the moment; we need to all stick together."

He nodded, still looking at his feet and suddenly I laughed. "Gods, I feel like I'm your mother. Leo, you can do whatever you want, but at least try to be civil with Frank? For me?" I gave him a puppy dog face that I wouldn't have been caught dead doing in New Rome.

He looked up at me with that elfish grin. "I'll try my best." Annabeth called his name and he walked away, waving at me as he went.

"That leaves four of us to check on the mile marker," Percy said. "Me, Jason, Piper, Reyna. I'm not psyched about seeing Mr. D again. That guy is a pain. But, Jason, if you're on better terms with him—"

"Yeah," Jason said. "If we find him, I'll talk to him. Piper, it's your vision. You should take the lead."

"Of course," she said. "Let's find the highway."

Leo had said we were close. His idea of "close" needed some work. After trudging through hot fields, getting bitten by mosquitoes and whacked in the face with scratchy sunflowers, they finally reached the road. An old billboard for Bubba's Gas 'n' Grub indicated they were still forty miles from the first Topeka exit.

"Correct my math," Percy said, "but doesn't that mean we have eight miles to walk?"

"No cars…" he said. "But I guess we wouldn't want to hitchhike."

"No," Piper agreed, gazing nervously down the highway. "We've already spent too much time going overland. The earth is Gaea's territory."

"Hmm…" Jason snapped his fingers. "I can call a friend for a ride." Percy raised his eyebrows. "Oh, yeah? Me too. Let's see whose friend gets here first."

Jason whistled, but Percy only closed his eyes, like he was thinking very hard.

Thunder crackled in the clear sky. Jason smiled. "Soon."

"Too late." Percy pointed east, where a black winged shape was spiraling toward us.

The winged stallion came in for a landing. He trotted over to Percy and nuzzled his face, then turned his head inquisitively toward Piper and Jason and me. "Blackjack," Percy said, "this is Piper and Jason and Reyna. They're friends." The horse nickered. "Uh, maybe later," Percy answered.

I raised my eyebrows. He could talk to horses too? "What does Blackjack want?" I asked.

"Donuts," Percy said. "Always donuts. He can carry all of us if—" Suddenly the air turned cold.

About fifty yards away, a miniature cyclone three stories tall tore across the tops of the sunflowers like a scene from The Wizard of Oz. It touched down on the road next to Jason and took the form of a horse— a misty steed with lightning flickering through its body. "Tempest," Jason said, grinning broadly. "Long time, my friend."

The storm spirit reared and whinnied. Blackjack backed up skittishly.

"Easy, boy," Percy said. "He's a friend too." He gave Jason an impressed look. "Nice ride, Grace."

Jason shrugged. "I made friends with him during our fight at the Wolf House. He's a free spirit, literally, but once in a while he agrees to help me."

Percy and Jason climbed on their respective horses. Piper climbed up with Jason (obviously) so I got up behind Percy.

Tempest raced down the road with Blackjack soaring overhead. Fortunately, we didn't pass any cars, or we might have caused a wreck. In no time at all, we reached the thirty-two mile marker.

Blackjack landed. Both horses pawed the asphalt. Neither looked pleased to have stopped so suddenly, just when they'd found their stride. Blackjack whinnied.

"You're right," Percy said. "No sign of the wine dude."

"I beg your pardon?" said a voice from the fields. "Did someone just call me the wine dude?" he asked in a lazy drawl. "It's Bacchus, please. Or Mr. Bacchus. Or Lord Bacchus. Or, sometimes, Oh-My-Gods-Please-Don't-Kill-Me, Lord Bacchus."

Percy urged Blackjack forward, though the pegasus didn't seem happy about it. "You look different," Percy told the god. "Skinnier. Your hair is longer. And your shirt isn't so loud."

The wine god squinted up at him. "What in blazes are you talking about? Who are you, and where is Ceres?"

"Uh… what series?"

"I think he means Ceres," I said. "The goddess of agriculture. You'd call her Demeter."

Jason nodded respectfully to the god. "Lord Bacchus, do you remember me? I helped you with that missing leopard in Sonoma."

Bacchus scratched his stubbly chin. "Ah… yes. John Green."

"Jason Grace."

"Whatever," the god said. "Did Ceres send you, then?"

"No, Lord Bacchus," Jason said. "Were you expecting to meet her here?"

The god snorted. "Well, I didn't come to Kansas to party, my boy. Ceres asked me here for a council of war. What with Gaea rising, the crops are withering. Droughts are spreading. The _karpoi_ are in revolt. Even my grapes aren't safe. Ceres wanted a united front in the plant war."

"The plant war," Percy said. "You're going to arm all the little grapes with tiny assault rifles?"

The god narrowed his eyes. "Have we met?"

"At Camp Half-Blood," Percy said, "I know you as Mr. D— Dionysus."

"Agh!" Bacchus winced and pressed his hands to his temples. For a moment, his image flickered. I saw a different person— fatter, dumpier, in a much louder, leopard-patterned shirt. Then Bacchus returned to being Bacchus. "Stop that!" he demanded. "Stop thinking about me in Greek!"

Percy blinked. "Uh, but—"

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to stay focused? Splitting headaches all the time! I never know what I'm doing or where I'm going! Constantly grumpy!"

"That sounds pretty normal for you," Percy said.

I elbowed him. He seemed to have a pretty impressive talent for pissing off the gods, and I wasn't planning on dying because of him. "Knock it off."

The god's nostrils flared. One of the grape leaves on his hat burst into flame. "If we know each other from that other camp, it's a wonder I haven't already turned you into a dolphin."

"It was discussed," Percy assured him. "I think you were just too lazy to do it." Obviously, he didn't listen to me. I looked over to Piper, and we both were pretty helpless. She got an idea, apparently, and slid off of Tempest's back and faced the god.

"Lord Bacchus. Sorry to trouble you, my lord," she told the god, "but actually we came here to get your advice. Please, we need your wisdom."

"You're well-spoken, girl. Advice, eh? Very well. I would avoid karaoke. Really, theme parties in general are out. In these austere times, people are looking for a simple, low-key affair, with locally produced organic snacks and—"

"Not about parties," Piper interrupted. "Although that's incredibly useful advice, Lord Bacchus. We were hoping you'd help us on our quest." She explained about the Argo II and their voyage to stop the giants from awakening Gaea. She told him what Nemesis had said: that in six days, Rome would be destroyed. She described the vision reflected in her knife, where Bacchus offered her a silver goblet.

"Silver goblet?" The god didn't sound very excited. He grabbed a Diet Pepsi from nowhere and popped the top of the can.

"You drink Diet Coke," Percy said.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Bacchus snapped. "As to this vision of the goblet, young lady, I have nothing for you to drink unless you want a Pepsi. Jupiter has put me under strict orders to avoid giving wine to minors. Bothersome, but there you have it. As for the giants, I know them well. I fought in the first Giant War, you know."

"You can fight?" Percy asked. I wished he didn't sound so incredulous.

Bacchus growled and his Pepsi turned into a five-foot staff wreathed in ivy, topped with a pinecone.

"OH, a thyrsus!" Piper cried, "What a magnificent weapon!"

The god seemed a bit smug after that and proceeded to tell us all about his fighting in the Giant War and then vanished after telling us to go to Atlanta.

Gaea appeared soon after that (big shocker there) and managed to possess Percy and Jason somehow.

"One will die," Percy said, but the voice wasn't his. It was deep and hollow, like someone whispering from inside the barrel of a cannon.

"I will choose," Jason answered, in the same hollow voice.

"No!" Piper yelled.

All around us, the fields crackled and hissed, laughing in Gaea's voice as Percy and Jason charged at each other, their weapons primed and ready to kill.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Me not Rick Riordan.**

**Book of the Update: **_**The Last Olympian**_** by Rick Riordan**

Chapter 4

If not for the horses, Piper and I would probably have died. Jason and Percy charged each other, but Tempest and Blackjack balked long enough for me to grab Piper and pull us out of the way. We stood off to the side watching horrified as the boys crossed swords, gold against bronze. Sparks flew. Their blades blurred— strike and parry— and the pavement trembled. The first exchange took only a second, but I couldn't believe the speed of their sword fighting. If I wasn't absolutely horrified by what was going on, I might have been impressed.

The horses pulled away from each other— Tempest thundering in protest, Blackjack flapping his wings.

"Stop it!" Piper cried, and Jason seemed to listen to her for a moment, but Percy charged him and any reasonable thinking was cast aside.

"Percy! Jason's your friend! Drop the weapons!" her charmspeak seemed to be working, at least a little bit, but then a bolt of lightning came down and hit Percy right in the chest and sent him flying backwards, sparking with electricity.

"JASON!" I yelled, shocked at what happened. (No pun intended)

_The blood of a female demigod and the blood of a male. Ladies, my dears, choose which of you will die, _a voice whispered in the air.

Piper gasped. "It's Gaea," she told me and I froze.

Piper grabbed my arm and I looked at her. Her eyes were wide and tears ran down her face. "No!" she screamed. "Jason, stop!" He froze, his sword six inches from Percy's face.

Jason turned, the gold light in his eyes flickering uncertainly. "_I cannot stop. One must die_."

Something about that voice… it wasn't Gaea. It wasn't Jason. Whoever it was spoke haltingly, as if English was its second language.

I gasped, making the connection. "Piper, it's the _eidolons_!"

She let go of my arm and stood tall, trying to seem threatening, I think. "_Eidolons_," she addressed them, her voice shaking slightly, "I command you to leave these bodies and never return to them."

Jason hissed and lowered his sword. "_We will….leave these bodies_," he spat the words like they burned his throat coming out.

"Tell them to swear it on the River Styx," I muttered into Piper's ear and she nodded.

"Promise on the River Styx that you will leave these bodies and never return."

"_We promise on the River Styx_," both of them said simultaneously.

"You are dead," she commanded.

They echoed her, agreeing, and then both boys crumpled to the ground. I swear I saw golden light fly from them.

"Jason!" Piper screeched, running over to him. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, looking confused.

I walked over to Percy and crouched next to him. "Are you okay?" he nodded and I gave him a brief explanation of what had happened.

"We need to get back to the others," he said and I nodded.

"Yes. They should be told what happened. If anyone else is attacked by the _eidolons_-" I gasped. "Oh gods, Leo! We need to get back and make sure the _eidolon_ is out of Leo!"

After a rushed flight on Blackjack (Tempest had run off and Jason couldn't call him back), we met the others on board the Argo II and called for an emergency meeting.

I ran to the control room where Leo was sitting, eating a chocolate bar with his feet propped up on the console. I knelt down by him and pulled his head up to look in his eyes. He froze instantly, his cheeks full of food like a chipmunk and he was obviously confused.

"Hewwo gowgeous," he said through a mouthful of chocolate.

I ignored him. His eyes looked normal; he was definitely himself right now, but there was something there that shouldn't have been there. Some emotion or something was just _off_. Probably the result of the _eidolon_, so it was still there, but wasn't in control right now? I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. It felt a little better to know that I hadn't kissed an _eidolon_, even though it was still somewhere in Leo's body.

Coach Hedge came in then, looking a bit miffed.

I stood up. "Set a course for Atlanta. I'll explain later. Coach Hedge can pilot the ship for now, right?"

"Uhh….okay." Leo set the course and did give up the helm, albeit reluctantly.

"Come on, Valdez; emergency meeting." I grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hall to the dining room.

After Piper and I explained what happened at Topeka 32, the conversation turned toward Leo's possession.

"The Romans don't know that Leo was possessed, but I doubt they would take our word for it," Annabeth pointed out.

"Reyna, they'd believe you, right? I mean, you are their praetor," Percy asked, but I shook my head.

"Not anymore. I doubt I'm a legal citizen anymore, let alone praetor. If I went back, I'd probably be tried for treason."

"In my dagger blade, I saw Octavian taking control of the crowds of New Rome. I'm not sure anyone can stop him," Piper said grimly.

"She's right," Frank said. "This afternoon when we were scouting, we saw eagles again. They were a long way off, but closing fast. Octavian is on the warpath."

Hazel grimaced. "This is exactly the sort of opportunity Octavian has always wanted. He'll try to seize power. If Reyna objects, he'll say she's soft on the Greeks. As for those eagles… It's like they could smell us."

"They can," Jason said. "Roman eagles can hunt demigods by their magical scent even better than monsters can. This ship might conceal us somewhat, but not completely— not from them."

Leo drummed his fingers. "Great. I should have installed a smoke screen that makes the ship smell like a giant chicken nugget. Remind me to invent that, next time."

Hazel frowned. "What is a chicken nugget?"

"Oh, man…" Leo shook his head in amazement. "That's right. You've missed the last like, seventy years. Well, my apprentice, a chicken nugget—"

"Doesn't matter," Annabeth interrupted. "The point is, we'll have a hard time explaining the truth to the Romans. Even if they believe us—"

"You're right." Jason leaned forward. "We should just keep going. Once we're over the Atlantic, we'll be safe— at least from the legion."

"How can you be sure? Why wouldn't they follow us?"

"The ancient lands…. They're much too dangerous. Roman demigods have been forbidden to go there for generations. Even Octavian couldn't get around that rule," I told them, somewhat reluctant to be the bearer of bad news.

Frank swallowed a bite of burrito like it had turned to cardboard in his mouth. "So, if we go there…"

"We'll be outlaws as well as traitors," I confirmed. "Any Roman demigod would have the right to kill us on sight. But I wouldn't worry about that. If we get across the Atlantic, they'll give up on chasing us. They'll assume that we'll die in the Mediterranean— the Mare Nostrum."

Percy pointed his pizza slice at me. "You, miss, are a ray of sunshine."

I didn't argue. The other demigods stared at their plates, except for Percy, who continued to enjoy his pizza. Where he put all that food, I didn't know. The guy could eat like Don the faun.

"So let's plan ahead," Percy suggested, "and make sure we don't die. Mr. D— Bacchus— Ugh, do I have to call him Mr. B now? Anyway, he mentioned the twins in Ella's prophecy. Two giants. Otis and, uh, something that started with an F?"

"Ephialtes," Jason said. "Twin giants, like Piper saw in her blade…"

Annabeth ran her finger along the rim of her cup. "I remember a story about twin giants. They tried to reach Mount Olympus by piling up a bunch of mountains."

Frank nearly choked. "Well, that's great. Giants who can use mountains like building blocks. And you say Bacchus killed these guys with a pinecone on a stick?"

"Something like that," Percy said. "I don't think we should count on his help this time. He wanted a tribute, and he made it pretty clear it would be a tribute we couldn't handle." Silence fell around the table. I thought of what Gaea had said earlier: _The blood of a female demigod and the blood of a male. Ladies, my dears, choose which of you will die. _

"She wants two of us," Piper murmured, apparently remembering at the same time I did.

Everyone looked at her and she turned bright red and ducked down in her seat a bit. I took pity on her and said, "Today on the highway, Gaea told us that she needed the blood of only two demigods— one female, one male. She asked us to choose who would die."

"But no one died. You saved us," he said to Piper, and I tried my best not to be mad that he said that explicitly to her and not to both of us.

"I know, but….why would she want that?"

Leo whistled softly. "Guys, remember at the Wolf House? Our favorite ice princess, Khione? She talked about spilling Jason's blood, how it would taint the place for generations. Maybe demigod blood has some kind of power."

"Oh…" Percy set down his third pizza slice. He leaned back and stared at nothing.

"Percy?" Annabeth gripped his arm.

"Oh, bad," he muttered. "Bad. Bad." He looked across the table at Frank and Hazel. "You guys remember Polybotes?"

"The giant who invaded Camp Jupiter," Hazel said. "The anti-Poseidon you whacked in the head with a Terminus statue. Yes, I think I remember."

"I had a dream," Percy said, "when we were flying to Alaska. Polybotes was talking to the gorgons, and he said— he said he wanted me taken prisoner, not killed. He said: 'I want that one chained at my feet, so I can kill him when the time is ripe. His blood shall water the stones of Mount Olympus and wake Earth Mother!'"

My blood seemed to run cold right then and Piper was visibly shaking. She began to speak, and her voice quavered the whole time: "You think the giants would use our blood… the blood of two of us—"

"I don't know," Percy said. "But until we figure it out, I suggest we all try to avoid getting captured."

Jason grunted. "That I agree with."

"But how do we figure it out?" Hazel asked. "The Mark of Athena, the twins, Ella's prophecy… how does it all fit together?"

Annabeth pressed her hands against the edge of the table. "Reyna, you told Leo to set our course for Atlanta."

"Right," Piper said. "Bacchus told us we should seek out… what was his name?"

"Phorcys," Percy said.

Annabeth looked surprised, like she wasn't used to her boyfriend having the answers. "You know him?"

Percy shrugged. "I didn't recognize the name at first. Then Bacchus mentioned salt water, and it rang a bell. Phorcys is an old sea god from before my dad's time. Never met him, but supposedly he's a son of Gaea. I still don't understand what a sea god would be doing in Atlanta."

Leo snorted. "What's a wine god doing in Kansas? Gods are weird. Anyway, we should reach Atlanta by noon tomorrow, unless something else goes wrong."

"Don't even say that," Annabeth muttered. "It's getting late. We should all get some sleep."

"Wait," Piper said. Once more, everyone looked at her. "There's one last thing," she said. "The _eidolon_. It's still here, somewhere in Leo's brain."

The room was silent. Finally Hazel exhaled. "Piper is right."

"How can you be sure?" Annabeth asked.

"I've met _eidolons_," Hazel said. "In the Underworld, when I was… you know." _Dead_.

Frank rubbed his head. "So…You think these things are lurking on the ship, or—"

"Possibly lurking inside some of us," Piper said. "We don't know."

Jason clenched his fist. "If that's true—"

"We have to take steps," Piper said.

"I think I can do this."

"Do what?" Percy asked.

"Just listen, okay?" Piper took a deep breath. "Everybody listen. "_Eidolon_," she said, using her charmspeak, "raise your hand."

There was tense silence. Leo laughed nervously. "Did you really think that was going to—?" His voice died. His face went slack. He raised his hand. I chomped my teeth together and fidgeted nervously, but tried to keep cool for the sake of the others. Leo's eyes had turned a glowing golden color.

"Oh gods," Annabeth muttered. "Can you cure him?"

"Are there more of you on this ship?" she asked.

"_No,"_ Leo said in a hollow voice. "_The Earth Mother sent three. The strongest, the best. I am the strongest and the best of the three. I will live again_."

"Not here, you won't," Piper growled. "You will leave that body."

"_No. I must live_," he hissed, a feral look on his face; those golden eyes were seriously unnerving.

Frank fumbled for his bow. "Mars Almighty, that's creepy! Get out of here, spirit! Leave our friend alone!"

Leo turned toward him. "_You cannot command us, child of war. Your own life is fragile. Your soul could burn at any moment." _

Frank staggered like he'd been punched in the gut. He drew an arrow, his hands shaking. "I— I've faced down worse things than you. If you want a fight—"

"Frank, don't." Hazel rose.

"Stop!" Piper said, but her voice shook and faltered.

"Listen to Piper," I said to Leo, looking in him for any sign of himself.

He turned to me, very slowly. "_Daughter of Bellona, you have no control over the dead. You have no control over me."_

"Listen to me," I pleaded, "I may not have control over you, but Piper does; listen to her and leave_ this body_."

Leo, the _eidolon_, whoever, looked at me for a long while, and finally said haltingly, "_I-I will….leave this body_."

"You will vow on the River Styx never to return to this ship," Piper added, "and never to possess any member of this crew."

"_I promise on the River Styx_." He slumped forward and fell toward Frank, who made no move to catch him. I just managed to grab the back of his shirt before his face hit the floor.

I pulled him up. He had a piece of spaghetti in the shape of a 3 stuck to his forehead. "Did it work?"

"It worked," Piper affirmed.

"And you're sure it worked on me and Jason?"

She nodded. "So does that mean I can stop getting head injuries now?" Jason asked and she laughed.

"Come on Lightning Boy. Let's go get you some fresh air.

Everyone sort of slowly left after that. Leo and I went back to his cabin (or mine now, I guess) and sat crisscross on the bed, facing each other.

"Leo," I started, "Why did the eidolon – yours – listen to me and not Piper?"

It was silent for a few moments. "Maybe because I'm not in love with Piper."

My fingers froze where they had been playing with the sheets and I looked up at him. "Y-you love me?" I asked, hardly daring to breathe.

He nodded, his curly hair bouncing, and grinned that trademark Valdez grin that he only ever gave me. "How could I not love you?"

My breath caught in my throat and no words came out of my mouth. He looked down at his hands. "I mean, if you don't love me, it's totally cool, we can just be-"

He was silenced when I literally threw myself at him, knocking both of us over in the process. My arms were wrapped around his neck as tight as they could be, but I didn't kiss him. This, this pure show of emotion and relationship and innocence, was exactly what we both needed.

"Leo Valdez…" I said in his ear, "I love you."

**A/N Sorry for the slow updates guys – high school sucks. Okay, so someone made me a fan art (Although someone messaged me and said that it was created with a doll maker but whatever) for Just a Chance Encounter? And it's on my tumblr (dreams-are-freedom) and I was freaking out. Thank you, whoever you are Anonymous! And please review; they make me happy!**


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